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By Marni Rose McFall
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President Donald Trump has designated the Oval Office as a national monument, after overseeing some of the most significant changes to the space in modern presidential history.
The move will seek to restrict substantial and architectural changes to one of the White House’s most recognizable spaces. “We’re making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office.
Trump has also designated the Outer Oval Office and the Cabinet Room.
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While presidents have long personalized the Oval Office, the current iteration was the idea of President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the original one, constructed under President William Howard Taft, was damaged in 1929.
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Trump’s proclamation seeks to restrict substantial structural and architectural changes. However, the proclamation does not prevent future presidents from redecorating the rooms, and a future president could still change furniture, artwork and other décor.
The proclamation issued under the Antiquities Act gives the Oval Office and adjoining spaces separate recognition as the Oval Office National Monument.
And while some changes will still be allowed, it will complicate the path to any major alterations.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that any major changes would require approval from Congress.
“No major modification without the approval of Congress,” he said. “So, if they want to say, ‘Let’s not have Oval anymore, let’s make it square they have to go back to Congress, and hopefully the Congress ... will be smart enough not to let that happen.”
It comes as the Trump administration has embarked upon a series of beautification efforts, both at the White House and more broadly around D.C. This includes the paving over of the Rose Garden, the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for the contentious construction of a new ballroom, and the embattled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
Many of these changes have been met with legal challenges, complaints and critical discourse. Now, the president has sought to bring in protections to preserve the changes he has made, the same week as the Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the 2026 midterm elections.
Newsweek looks at the changes Trump has made to the Oval Office.
The Golden Oval Office Sign
In November of 2025, a sign was added to the exterior of the Oval Office.
The sign reads “The Oval Office,” in gold, cursive lettering.
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The Golden Makeover of the Interior of the Oval Office
In March of 2025, only a few months into Trump’s second term in office, he transformed the traditionally minimalist space, giving it a bling treatment.
The space was filled with ornate, lavish gold flourishes, from the fireplace mantel to the side tables. Including:
- Gold trim around ceiling moldings and doorways.
- Gold ornamentation on the walls and fireplace.
- Gilded cherubs and other decorative appliqués.
- Gold urns, trophies and mantelpiece objects.
- Gold curtains behind the Resolute Desk.
- A gilded presidential seal above the desk.
This, in turn, lent the space a decidedly Trumpian feel and echoed the interiors of his signature Trump Tower in New York and Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
That décor has been met with some ridicule, including consistent commentary that it is from Home Depot, something the president has denied.
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A Denser Display of Portraits
The collection of portraits has also been expanded.
While President Joe Biden prominently displayed Franklin D. Roosevelt alongside portraits including President George Washington, President Abraham Lincoln and Alexander Hamilton, Trump has filled the walls with a denser collection of paintings in elaborate gold frames.
A portrait of President Ronald Reagan sits to Trump’s left when he is at the Resolute Desk, and he also added a portrait of President Thomas Jefferson.
Military Flags
Behind the desk are flags representing each branch of the U.S. military.
The flags of the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps are present, as well as the Space Force, established by Trump during his first term in 2019.
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A New Rug
Trump also changed the rug in the room, bringing back the light-colored one he used in his first term.
The rug was originally associated with the Ronald Reagan era and features a presidential seal, radiating sunbeam pattern and olive branches.
Biden had used a darker blue rug originally designed for Bill Clinton.
The Diet Coke Button
A practical change rather than an aesthetic one, but the president has implemented a button with which he can order a Diet Coke while sitting at the Resolute Desk.
How The Oval Office Looked in Trump’s First Term
Trump did personalize the Oval Office in his first term, but the result was pared back by comparison to the significant transformation of his second.
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After he began his first term in office in 2017, Trump replaced the deep red curtains that had been used by President Barack Obama and replaced them with gold ones.
He used a red-and-beige carpet with green leaf detailing that had originated in the Reagan era and had been briefly used by George W. Bush.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Cristina Diciu.
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